It’s about that time of year, when our littles may be donning fancy clothes and perfect manners and expected to be oh-so-proper. If you know exactly what I’m talking about, you have to see Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Caldecott Honor winner Peter Brown. (Little ones, you say?! But what about the rest of us?! Read on, then, friends.)

So exists Mr. Tiger. Stuffed into a suit, with a perfect top hat perched above. When we meet him, we instantly know his pain. He’s miserable. He’s bored. He wants to be a wild animal. I think we’ve talked a little bit about page turns in picture books and their spectacular moments of suspense, right? When Mr. Tiger gets his wild idea, he bobs and repeats, lower on the page until – he’s on all fours. If you don’t let out a satisfied squeal at this page, you might need to check your heartbeat! It’s hilarious and clever, and you’ll find yourself rooting more than ever for Mr. Tiger. Even his eyes are wider, and a smile spreads across his striped face. This book is for anyone who feels better after a good ROAR!

P.S. – One of my unabashed obsessions about the form of the picture book is clever storytelling in its endpapers. Peter Brown’s art is brilliant here. The opening endpapers show layers of brick, the buildings of the city. At the end? Wide open green, the flora and fauna of freedom.

We just got this book several weeks ago and LOVE it! I so appreciate your connection to the fancy-clothes season ahead. I also love that Mr. Tiger decides not to completely abandon his friends for total wildness. He makes a nice compromise to surround himself with great relationships that also evolve during the story. So great a lesson.